The present invention relates to a retriever for golf balls when situated, for example, in lakes, ponds, ditches or other difficult or inaccessible places to reach by hand.
For such purposes there is presently on the market telescoping rod like handles with ball retrieving elements mounted on their ends. These devices which are normally carried by the golfer in his or her bag along with the clubs add weight and take up space in the bag and not only are relatively expensive, but require that the retriever, which may take the form of a cup like member, be manipulated beneath the ball to lift the ball out of the inaccessible place.
Other forms of known golf ball retrievers have sought to eliminate the handle devices and the need to carry a separate weighty and cumbersome device in the golfer's bag by providing a device that can be placed by the golfer on the head of a golf club, either a wood or iron type club, and after use removed therefrom for storage in a pocket of the golf bag.
These later devices have taken many forms, such as the use of coil spring like devices, wire or solid material cradles, and cup like members, all of which possess one or more disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages are the degree of difficulty to use, the mode of attachment to the club, the largeness of the device, the fact that the parts that actually engage the lost ball extend downwardly away from the bottom of the club, in which, in some cases require that a space exist under the ball to accommodate the device before the ball can be captured.